NEW DISCOVERIES
PROGRAMME

OCS Announces 2008 Winners of
'New Discoveries' Audition for Young Artists

Laura Albino Soprano	Aidan Ferguson Mezzo-Soprano	Justin Welsh Baritone

In February 2008, a distinguished jury composed of Dr. Marika Kuzma, professor of choral studies at the University of California at Berkeley, broadcaster Eric Friesen and OCS Music Director Matthew Larkin heard more than 60 outstanding young Canadians – all under the age of 30, in auditions held in Montreal and Toronto.  From that roster they selected three exciting young Canadian artists as the winners of the Ottawa Choral Society’s 2008 New Discoveries Auditions for Young Artists. They are Toronto soprano Laura Albino, and two young stars who have arisen out of the west, mezzo–soprano Aidan Ferguson (now living in Montreal) and Toronto-based baritone Justin Welsh.

LAURA ALBINO

Soprano Laura Albino is fast emerging as one of Canada’s finest young sopranos, and is in growing demand for both opera and concert repertoire. Her operatic repertoire includes the role of Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni conducted by Richard Eagrr with the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in Aldeburgh, England; Mary Warren in Robert Ward’s The Crucible with the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv; and the role of Bridey in Queen of Puddings Music Theatre’s production of The Midnight Court at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.  Other recent operatic performances include Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Anne in Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, the title roles in Handel's Semele as well as Holst’s Savitri and the part of Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi.

As a concert singer, Miss Albino recently made her debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Bach’s St John Passion and made her third appearance with Toronto’s Aldeburgh Connection in the Bayfield Festival of Song.  She has performed at the Toronto International Bach Festival under Helmuth Rilling for the past four years, and last July joined Maestro Rilling for performances of Bach Cantatas at the Oregon Bach Festival. Other recent concert appearances include performances of Mozart’s masses with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Paul Nadler, a performance of Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem under Raffi Armenian, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Exultate Jubilate with Toronto’s Tallis Choir, Handel’s Messiah with the Handel Society of Dartmouth College under Rilling, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Toronto’s Amadeus Choir under Lydia Adams.  Miss Albino has recently made her second appearance with Toronto’s Aradia Ensemble as the featured soloist in their Christmas concert, and looks forward to working with them again on an upcoming recording of Purcell works for the Naxos label. Miss Albino can also be heard on the Hänssler Classic label on a recording of Handel’s Saul with the Bach Collegium, Stuttgart.

Miss Albino recently completed a Masters Degree in Operatic Performance at the University of Toronto Opera School where the Canadian Opera Volunteers Committee named her the Distinguished Graduate of 2006. Miss Albino is a  member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio.

AIDAN FERGUSON

Young mezzo-soprano Aidan Ferguson is currently in her final year of her Master’s degree in Opera Performance at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University studying with Professor Joanne Kolomyjec and Professor Michael McMahon.  Aidan received her Bachelor of Music Degree from McGill with Outstanding Achievement in Voice and Distinction.  She has been the recipient of numerous scholarships at McGill including the Laurie Slapcoff Award and Margaret Kalil Award, was a Schulich Scholar and last year received a Recruitment Excellence Fellowship.  As a Grand Prize winner of the Ottawa Choral Society’s 2008 “New Discoveries” Competition, Aidan will be a featured soloist in their “Grand Mastery” concert singing in Mozart’s MASS IN C MINOR.

Aidan has had the great privilege of taking part in master classes with Jane Eaglen, Nico Castel, Stephen Lord, Joan Dornemann and Diana Soviero. Aidan’s operatic stage experience includes Dorabella in Così fan tutte (Mozart), Second Lady Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Mum in Albert Herring (Britten), Zenobia in Radamisto (Handel), Popova in The Bear (Walton), Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas (Purcell) and the Baroness in Vanessa (Barber). This season Aidan sang the role of Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia (Britten) with Opera McGill. Next year Aidan looks forward to joining the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal.

JUSTIN WELSH

From British Columbia, baritone Justin Welsh is a former member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio. He was featured as Ari in the world premiere of the Ensemble production of SWOON and took the role of Fiorello in the mainstage production of Rossini’s IL BARBIERE DE SIVIGLIA, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Previously he has been seen as Papageno in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE in the Andrew Porter production for the COC Ensemble and covered the roles of Guglielmo in COSI FAN TUTTE, Count Almaviva in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO and Wagner in Gounod’s FAUST.

Last season, he was heard in ROBERTO DEVEREUX for Opera in Concert, in Fauré’s REQUIEM with Choeur St. Laurent, MATTHÄUS PASSION with the Guelph Chamber Choir, SONGS OF TRAVEL by Ralph Vaughan Williams with the Ottawa Choral Society, Beethoven’s MASS IN C and Bach’s MAGNIFICAT with the Regina Philharmonic Chorus and ‘Opera Briefs’ with Tapestry New Opera Works.